Lovely Thing
by Aima D. Duragon
Summary: The first moment she saw him, she knew. The second her eyes found him, she was ensnared. [BL/LV]


**Round 10**

 **Prompt:** 1960's: Theme From 'A Summer Place' — Percy Faith

 **Optional Prompt(s):**

7\. (word) arrow

10\. (word) luminous

 **A/N:** This song, to me, sounds like someone falling in love. So, of course, I had to twist that on itself a bit. Couldn't help it really. Enjoy my version of soundtrack dissonance!

 **Word count: ~** 1000

* * *

From the first moment she saw him, she knew.

Her mother stood at her side, her hand a firm pressure against her lower back. As if she needed any added incentive to be where she was. She doubted that she could move one inch away from him had her mother been trying to drag her back through the door. The second her eyes found him, she was ensnared.

"My Lord," her mother said, "I've brought you my daughter, Bellatrix. Just as you requested."

The man standing at the center of the hall didn't pay her any mind. In fact, he acted as if he hadn't heard her at all. His attention was resolutely focused on a space on the floor he was circling. Bellatrix stared at him as he slowly and deliberately paced, like a predator stalking its prey. There was something so... _defined_ about him. Like he made the world around him less clear simply by being present. He was so much more than the rumors and stories she'd been told.

Her mother shifted uneasily. "My Lor-"

He silenced her with a mere flick of his wrist, his obsidian gaze never once leaving its mark. He continued circling, his dark brows drawn together to create a deep groove in the skin in between.

"Leave us." His voice was like midnight; soft and rich. The sound of it wound its way around Bellatrix's heart and squeezed.

Her mother didn't hesitate. Her hand left Bellatrix's back, and the sound of her heels clicking against the marble echoed through the room as she made her way back towards the door. Bellatrix and the Dark Lord were alone.

"Come," he said.

Like a hooked fish being reeled in, Bellatrix walked towards him. She felt like she was floating, as if she'd strayed into a dream and was drifting up amongst the clouds. She came to a stop barely a metre away, not daring to breathe lest she disturb the air that he inhibited.

His eyes meeting hers for the first time was like an arrow through her chest. She was slain. The sheer power of him...

"What do you see?" he asked, gesturing towards the empty space at his side.

Pulse skipping at the base of her throat, Bellatrix stared. It was a test, she knew, but of what? She saw nothing. Just blank, empty space. There was nothing — but no...wait.

She took a step to the side and cocked her head. There — just _there_ — the air had shifted; a luminous sheen like cellophane reflecting light.

"A charm." She looked back up at him. "Invisibility?"

Approval flashed across his dark gaze. "Indeed. However, as you can tell, it's imperfect. Can you fix it?"

Bellatrix froze. "Me?"

"Yes. I was told that you were quite impressive." With one step his presence seemed to surround her. The next breath she took smelled of bergamot and copper and dark magic. "So impress me."

Her knees quivered, turning to putty beneath her robes. The ache to obey burned in her stomach as her magic responded of its own volition. She was blooming before him, though she hadn't the faintest idea why. She'd encountered many lovely faces before, but there was something different about his. Something more; an unspoken promise that skirted along the length of her spine, whispering things she'd only dared to dream.

Heat rising into her cheeks, Bellatrix turned and unpocketed her wand. Her magic was flowing through her so fluidly that she barely had to whisper the words. The shimmering air stitched itself together, the sparkling gaps closing and becoming dull and transparent. Within moments, the charm was complete.

"My what a lovely thing you are," he whispered. He stepped away to circle the charmed space once more. "Quite lovely, indeed."

With a subtle jerk of his chin, the charm unraveled. Intricate, delicate magic collapsed as if it was nothing more difficult than untying a bow. A man, bound and gagged, appeared on the floor before them. Blood was oozing from several wounds on his face and arms, and his soiled clothes reeked of excrement and fear. His blue eyes found hers, and he screamed around his gag.

The Dark Lord silenced him with a swift kick. "Quiet, vermin!"

Bellatrix stared down at him, her heart pounding in her ears. She didn't dare let her thrill show on her face.

"If I asked, would you kill him?"

Her eyes snapped back up to the Dark Lord's.

"My lovely, lovely thing." He strolled towards her once more, every sinew in his body coiled and powerful beneath his robes. "Would you need a reason to snap his neck?"

The gagged man screamed once more. Bellatrix made to turn her head, but the Dark Lord's finger beneath her chin held her still. His touch was like a thousand needles skittering across her flesh. He was so close that she could feel the warmth of his breath pool against her lips.

"Too long they've kept you hidden in the shadows," he whispered against her. "Too long they've held you back from becoming what you were always meant to be. All because what you are — what you _truly_ are — terrifies them. But it doesn't terrify me. Not one bit."

Shuddering, Bellatrix stepped back. She turned back towards the man, her magic roiling in her blood like a storm. She pointed her wand at the man, her eyes locking with his. " _Avada Kedavra!_ "

A flash of green filled the room, and when it faded, the gagged man was undeniably still.

"So very lovely." Hands wrapped around her shoulders from behind, and a soft breath stirred the hair next to her ear. "Stay with me, and I'll make you greater than you ever imagined. The world will bow at your feet, if you will but bow at mine."

Bellatrix nearly laughed. He spoke the words like she had a choice...but she didn't. Not really. From the first moment she saw him, she knew.

She belonged to him.


End file.
